Nine To Noon for Thursday 4 April 2019

9:08 AM.West Coasters are angry at the government's lack of response to what they say is a massive environmental disaster. Volunteers have been trying to clean up the mess since late last week, with… Read moreAudio, Gallery

9:28 AM.Professor Paul Worley is Australia's inaugural Rural Health Commissioner - a role that was established in 2017. He was tasked with improving the healthcare of rural and remote communities. In this… Read moreAudio

9:53 AM.The army is investigating British troop in Kabul firing at a poster of Jeremy Corbyn, a jury has failed to reach a verdict on whether police chief superintendent David Duckenfield was guilty of gross… Read moreAudio

10:07 AM.Tracey Thorn, one half of best-selling English duo Everything But The Girl, has revisited her teenage diaries for a new memoir, which explores the experience of growing up in London’s humdrum commuter… Read moreVideo, Audio

11:06 AM.Technology correspondent Bill Bennett was at the China-New Zealand year of tourism launch at the weekend, where there was a lot of talk about how tech-oriented Chinese visitors to New Zealand are -… Read moreAudio

11:47 AM.Sarah McMullan reviews Us, a horror staring Lupita Nyong'o; The Heart Dances, a documentary that takes us backstage at the Royal New Zealand Ballet's performance of The Piano and Woman at War - a film… Read moreAudio

West Coasters are angry at the government's lack of response to what they say is a massive environmental disaster. Volunteers have been trying to clean up the mess since late last week, with helicopters dropping people along the Westland Tai Poutini National Park coastline, the Waiau Glacier Coast Marine Reserve and those adjacent to the Okarito Mataitai Reserve. Forest & Bird, which has called the spill " potentially the biggest coastal eco-disaster since the Rena oil spill" has asked central Government agencies to urgently step in. Kathryn speaks with local resident and volunteer coordinator Mike Bilodeau, acting chairman of the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board Keith Morfett, and Forest & Bird's conservation manager, Jennifer Miller.

Facebook / South Westland Coastal Cleanup

Facebook / South Westland Coastal Cleanup

The Fox River Landfill site. Photo supplied / Westland District Council

Facebook / South Westland Coastal Cleanup

Facebook / South Westland Coastal Cleanup

Facebook / South Westland Coastal Cleanup

09:25 Paul Worley: Australia's Rural Health Commissioner

A rural health leader says the lives of rural New Zealanders are at risk. Photo: PHOTO NZ

Professor Paul Worley is Australia's inaugural Rural Health Commissioner - a role that was established in 2017. He was tasked with improving the healthcare of rural and remote communities. In this country, a quarter of all rural medical practices are short of a GP and many of those who remain are nearing retirement age. He talks to Kathryn Ryan about how New Zealand can meet the challenge.

09:45 UK troops use Jeremy Corbyn's face for target practice and no verdict in Hillsborough case

The army is investigating British troop in Kabul firing at a poster of Jeremy Corbyn, a jury has failed to reach a verdict on whether police chief superintendent David Duckenfield was guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over the Hillsborough disaster and Europe's largest infrastructure project Crossrail is set for a big delay and a big budget blowout.

Photo: AFP

10:05 Tracey Thorn: forgiving suburbia

Photo: http://traceythorn.com/photos/

English singer, songwriter and writer Tracey Thorn speaks with Kathryn Ryan. Perhaps best known as being one half of the best-selling duo Everything but the Girl, their mid 90's hit album was 'Amplified Heart', from which came 'Missing': the group's most successful chart single, selling three million copies worldwide. As well as performing with husband Ben Watt, her Everything But the Girl co-member and partner for more than 35 years, Tracey's work includes collaborating with artists including Massive Attack, a latter-day successful solo career, and has published three books, the latest Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia is part essay, memoir and cultural history exploring how growing up and rebelling in the suburbs, deep in London's deeply conservative commuter belt may have been the making of her.

Episode 3 of The Life And Death Of Laura Friday (And Of Pavarotti, Her Parrot) by David Murphy read by Peter Hayden.

11:05 High-tech Chinese visitors and the departure of Spark boss

Technology correspondent Bill Bennett was at the China-New Zealand year of tourism launch at the weekend, where there was a lot of talk about how tech-oriented Chinese visitors to New Zealand are - but are their needs being met? And he'll also talk about the departure of Simon Moutter from Spark.

Can screen time for kids really be quality time ? Yes! says Jordan Shapiro the author of "The New Childhood: Raising Kids To Thrive In A Connected World". He joins Kathryn Ryan to talk about how to parent the 'wired child' and how children and their caregivers should engage with the digital technology around them.

11:45 Us, The Heart Dances and Woman at War

Sarah McMullan reviews Us, a horror staring Lupita Nyong'o; The Heart Dances, a documentary that takes us backstage at the Royal New Zealand Ballet's performance of The Piano and Woman at War - a film about a choir conductor who takes on mining giant Rio Tinto in the Icelandic highlands.